Columbia Student Sues Trump Administration Over Deportation Threats

Chung, who moved to the U.S. from South Korea as a child, was arrested earlier this month during a sit-in protesting disciplinary actions against fellow students. Her complaint argues that federal authorities are exploiting immigration powers to suppress dissent. According to the lawsuit, a federal prosecutor claimed Secretary of State Marco Rubio had revoked Chung’s residency status, despite her not holding a visa, in an attempt to justify her removal.

The litigation highlights a broader pattern of federal intervention against campus activists. Chung’s case mirrors that of Mahmoud Khalil, another permanent resident currently detained in Louisiana after leading protests at Columbia. The administration has relied on statutes allowing the State Department to target noncitizens whose presence is deemed a threat to foreign policy agendas. Beyond Columbia, similar measures have affected students and scholars at Georgetown and Cornell universities.

Legal counsel Naz Ahmad, co-director of the CLEAR project, characterized the administration’s actions as an attempt to punish protected speech through methods reminiscent of McCarthyism. The lawsuit seeks a temporary restraining order to prevent the government from detaining Chung, arguing that her participation in campus demonstrations remains constitutionally protected activity. The suit names several high-ranking officials, including Attorney General Pam Bondi and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, as defendants in the ongoing effort to challenge these administrative policies.